Abortion Center Shown Falsifying Documents on Botched Abortions

A national pro-life organization is accusing a Louisiana abortion center of falsifying documents to state officials concerning botched abortions done on women that result in complications and medical problems.

Baton Rouge resident Richard Mahoney has uncovered evidence that Delta Women’s Clinic in Baton Rouge has, for decades, falsified medical records and under-reported the number of abortions resulting in the death of or injury to pregnant women. DHH officials have been aware of the practice and have allowed it to continue, he alleges.

Father Peter West, associate director of Priests for Life, is working with Mahoney to expose abuses at the Delta Women’s Clinic abortion center, which has ties to indicted Philadelphia abortion practitioner Kermit Gosnell, who has been charged with eight counts of murder related to the death of a woman in a botched abortion at his Philadelphia abortion business and seven infanticides of babies he killed.

Recently, Operation Rescue filed a complaint with the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners against one of the abortion practitioners at Delta, Mary Frances Gardner, on behalf of a former patient who suffered such serious injuries there that she required a hysterectomy. However, as horrific as her complications were, they were never reported to the Department of Health and Hospitals, as required by law.

West says Mahoney has documents showing Delta Clinic submits forms to DHH on which many of the boxes had been pre-filled. On two separate forms, the box for “Complication of Pregnancy Termination” have been pre-printed with an “x” next to the “None” response.

“This practice of falsifying legal documents to the DHH’s Office of Vital Records and the medical malpractice and fraud involved in sending forms to the DHH that were … completed prior to seeing any patients, is tantamount to the largest travesty of justice ever perpetrated by the medical establishment under the guise of women’s reproductive health care,” Mahoney said. “In no other branch of medical practice would this be tolerated. The ramifications of these perjuries to the health of women in the United States is staggering.”

“The public needs to know the truth about abortion, the atrocities that have been committed by the abortion industry, and the government’s complicity in the skewing of the number of abortions performed and the injuries and complications associated with these procedures,” he told LifeNews in a statement. “All records that were falsified to the DHH Vital Records Registry need to be corrected and the appropriate information needs to be reported for each incident. We believe that only a Congressional hearing and an Independent Council investigation on these false reporting practices will reveal the truth about these abominable practices.”

The patient in the botched abortion drug case whose name will remain confidential at her request, swore an affidavit detailing her horrific experience, which was submitted with the LSBME complaint. In it she describes an outdated clinic environment with rude workers that were, for the most part, unhelpful and even abusive, especially once complications began to manifest.

The patient alleges that in April, 2009, she went to Delta and received the abortion pill. After being in continuous pain for several days without much bleeding, returned to the clinic where the office manager conducted an ultrasound. The clinic manager told the patient, “You still have a lot of crap inside that needs to come out.” She was given a second dose of the abortion pill and was sent home, but was unsuccessful as well.

In pain, she made several calls to unresponsive and rude clinic workers, and was finally scheduled for a D&C procedure with Mary Frances Gardner, who had a prior history of discipline on file with the LSBME.

According to the patient’s affidavit, Gardner was rude to her and angry that the patient required additional treatment for which Gardner would receive no additional payment. The patient alleges that Gardner was infuriated that she had a cell phone, and physically and verbally abused her in an attempt to get the phone from her. Gardner called her a “crybaby” and told her, “I can’t wait to do this and get you out of my hair.”

Finally, Gardner performed the surgical procedure without giving the patient anesthesia, causing pain the patient could barely tolerate.

West says the state health department has the power to close the Delta abortion center immediately and he urged state officials to do so.

“Under a 2010 law, DHH has the authority to close abortion facilities that violate state standards,” said Father West. “In fact, the publicity surrounding Delta Clinic in Baton Rouge is at least partially responsible for the closure of a New Orleans abortion facility. We demand that DHH immediately use its power to close Delta. Failing that, Priests for Life demands an independent congressional investigation of DHH.”

“Women in Louisiana need to know the danger they are in once they step inside Delta Clinic,” Father West said. “DHH has the authority to shut it down today, and yet officials refuse to act. It’s time – it’s way past time – to find out why.”

Previously, Delta abortion facility owner Leroy Brinkley employed Gosnell one day a week. Eileen White O’Neil, who has been charged in the Gosnell case with pretending to be a licensed physician, also has worked for Brinkley.